Contact Free Reading of Cartridge Identification Codes

• US 20090088701A1
• Filed: 03/20/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Original Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Inventors: Larsen, Andre
• Granted Patent: US 8,608,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/189
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6027 Electric-conductive bridges closing detection circuits, with or without identifying elements, e.g. resistances, zener-diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6072 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/24 Ampoule syringes, i.e. syringes with needle for use in combination with replaceable ampoules or carpules, e.g. automatic ampoules or carpules A61J1/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3129 Syringe barrels A61M5/3205 and A61M5/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/067 Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/081 electrostatic, e.g. by detecting the charge of capacitance between electrodes

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cartridge adapted to contain a medicament, the cartridge further being adapted to be inserted into an associated medication delivery device. The cartridge according to the present invention comprises a plurality of electrode elements arranged on an exterior surface part of the cartridge, wherein an electrode element of said plurality of electrode elements comprises a receiver zone and a transmitter zone, said receiver and transmitter zones being electrically connected. The receiver and transmitter zones are adapted to electrically couple to one or more transmitters and to one or more receivers, respectively, said one or more transmitters and said one or more receivers being arranged on the associated medication delivery device.

Claims

1. A cartridge adapted to contain a medicament, the cartridge further being adapted to be inserted into an associated medication delivery device, the cartridge comprising a plurality of electrode elements arranged on an exterior surface part of the cartridge, wherein an electrode element of said plurality of electrode elements comprises a receiver zone and a transmitter zone, said receiver and transmitter zones being electrically connected, said receiver zone and said transmitter zone being adapted to electrically couple to one or more transmitters and to one or more receivers, respectively, said one or more transmitters and said one or more receivers being arranged on the associated medication delivery device.

2. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode elements are made of an electrically conducting material.

3. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge comprises a rear end and a front end, the front end comprising an arrangement for securing an injection needle to the cartridge.

4. A cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of electrode elements are arranged near the rear end of the cartridge.

5. A cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of electrode elements form an essentially periodic pattern, the direction of periodicity being substantially perpendicular to an axial direction of the cartridge.

6. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode elements are made of an optically transparent material.

7. A cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of electrode elements form an essentially periodic pattern, the direction of periodicity being substantially parallel to an axial direction of the cartridge.

8. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode elements are arranged on a flexible foil, said foil being secured to the exterior surface part of the cartridge using an adhesive between the foil and the exterior surface part.

9. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of transmitter zones of the plurality of electrode elements forms a first array on the exterior surface part of the cartridge.

10. A cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of receiver zones of the plurality of electrode elements forms a second array on the exterior surface part of the cartridge, the first and second arrays being laterally shifted relative to each other.

11. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode elements are at least partly covered by a layer of dielectric material.

12. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode elements are galvanically separated from each other.

13. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the medicament containing reservoir comprises one or more collapsible sidewall portions, said one or more collapsible sidewall portions being adapted to collapse during emptying of the cartridge.

19. A medication delivery device comprising a medicament containing cartridge according to claim 1.

14. A method for identifying a type of medicament in a medicament containing cartridge when said cartridge is mounted in an associated medication delivery device, the method comprising:

providing a medicament containing cartridge comprising a plurality of electrode elements arranged on an exterior surface part thereof, wherein a number of said plurality of electrode elements comprises a receiver zone and a transmitter zone being electrically connected in pairs,

providing a plurality of electrical input signals to respective transmitters arranged on the associated medication delivery device, and electrically couple the plurality of electrical input signals from the respective transmitters to respective receiver zones of a group of said plurality of electrode elements,

receiving a plurality of electrical output signals from a plurality of receivers arranged on the associated medication delivery device, the plurality of receivers being electrically coupled to transmitter zones of said group of electrode elements, and

identifying the type of medicament in accordance with the electrical output signals received from the plurality of receivers.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the respective transmitters are capacitively coupled to respective receiver zones of the group of said plurality of electrode elements, and wherein the plurality of receivers are capacitively coupled to transmitter zones of said group of electrode elements.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein four electrical input signals are applied to four transmitters arranged on the associated medication delivery.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the four electrical input signals are approximately 90 degrees out of phase so as to form a quadrature electrical input signal.

18. A method according to claim 14, wherein the electrical input signals oscillate with a frequency within the range 50 kHz-150 kHz.

20. A flexible foil adapted to be arranged on an exterior surface part of a medicament containing cartridge, the flexible foil comprising a plurality of electrode elements, wherein an electrode element of said plurality of electrode elements comprises a receiver zone and a transmitter zone, said receiver zone and transmitter zone being electrically connected, and wherein said receiver zone is adapted to electrically couple to one or more transmitter, and wherein and said transmitter zone is adapted to electrically couple to one or more receiver.